Sub-Saharan African countries such as Nigeria will continue to have higher population growth. By projection, this will have the effect of contributing to over half of the global population by 2050. Nigeria being the most populous African nation is currently occupying the sixth position in population growth globally and by 2050, the country would have become the third most populous nation in the world. This paper examines the level and trend of fertility in Nigeria through in-depth scholarly papers with the intent of assessing the causes of high fertility levels and rates in Nigeria. The findings reveal that cultural and religious factors are the leading causes of high fertility behaviour in Nigeria. The paper concludes that in achieving demographic dividend for sustainable development in Nigeria, there is an urgent need to address Nigeria's sustained high fertility rate through counselling, expanding access to modern family planning and promoting birth spacing. It was recommended that adequate government policies need to be put in place to address the various predicting factors affecting fertility in Nigeria.
Akinokun et al. (2026) studied this question.